Electrical switch.



PATENTED APR. 16, 1907.

R. H. MANSON. ELECTRICAL SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9,1904.

witnesses %WZ/ ZZ UNITED STATES PATENT OEEI E.

RAY 'H. MANSON, OF E YRIA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE DEAN ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF ELYRIA, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

ELECTRICAL SWITCH.

Patented April. 16, 1907.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, RAY H. MANSON, a c t zen .of the United States, residing at Elyria, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Electrical Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to electrical switches, and particularly to those having a group of contacts or other operative parts whose con.- dition or relation may be; changed by the manipulation of a handle or similar device. In most cases the operative parts are mounted as a unit within a suitable casing, and the handle or other/actuating element projects from the casing. The projection of this element from the casing as well as the mode of its insertion and removal and of the assembling of the switch are frequently productive of embarrassment not only to the designers, but to thosewho are afterward called upon to assemble and to handle,pack, and unpack the complete pieces of apparatu The form of switch in which my invention is shown and described as embodied for the purpose of this application'is that used in connection with subscribers telephone outfits, and particularly with so-called wall sets. Its mode of adaptation to other forms will be apparent to those skilled in the art without specific description.

My invention has for its object the design of aswitch in which the actuating element,' whether-a handle, as used in many forms of switch, or" a hook-lever, as usedin telephone sets, may readily be detached from and attached to the operative parts of the switch without otherwise disturbing their relations or arrangement. .Inorder to attain my ob-' j ect, I provide a fixed pivot for the actuating element or lever, which serves as a-fulcrum and with which the lever engages by means of a notch or'recess. Between the point of application Of'POWGl and the fulcrum of the lever I provide a yielding retaining device acting to maintain the lever in engagement with its fulcrum and in a direction opposed to that of the operating power. As long as this yielding device retains its resilience the switch will operate without danger of displacing the lever, while the latter may be detached from the fulcrum at any time by suit-' I able compression of the yielding device. The

points of a plication of power and of the opposing yie ding device may be shifted with respect to the fulcrum according to the order to which the lever belon s. The extent of movement of the lever is immaterial as long as the retaining pressure follows throughout the amplitude of movement to maintain the enga ement of the lever and fulcrum. The yie ding device, as'I have called it, may be reduced to a latch engaging the pivot or fulcrum, in which case it is not essential that it should exert pressure directly in op osition to the power so long as it retains the ever. in engagement with its pivot.

In the telephone-switch hereinafter de-.

scribed the actuating element is the hooklever. Its fulcrum is the ordinary pivot-post on the switch-base, and the yielding device is the actuating-spring which tends to throw up the lever when the telephone-receiver is removed from the hook. By employing the actuating-spring as the retaining device it is given a double function and the parts are reduced to the utmost simplicity, no change being required as a matter of fact, except the cutting out of one side of the pivot-bearing in the lever to form a notch. By means of my invention the embarrassments to which I have referred areentirely obviated. The Opening in the casingthrough which the'operating-lever must extend can be made small and inconspicuous, and the lever may be removed except when the instrument is actually in use, whereby an annoying, external projection is disposed of, packing-cases may be made smaller, and the risk of damage to an instrument in handling or during shipmentis considerably lessened.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same letters' of reference indicate the same parts throughout, and wherein Figure 1 is a side view of a telephone hookswitch embodying the-invention inclosed in a casing, part of which is shown in section. Fig. 2 is a side view of the upper part of the base and the endof the lever in'Fig. 1, the parts being removed to show the notch'in the ever and the manner of its engagement with,

the pivot-post.

In the drawings I represent a standard type of telephone hook-switch C in a box or casing, upon which is mounted the base or supportB, secured to the bottom of the casing by the screw 6 Upon the upper part of the base cheek pieces b areformed, between upon its outer end the usual bifurcated hook h. Formed upon one side of the base B is a flange or transverse shelf 1), upon which are mounted the contact-springs s, .insulated from each other by the interposed slips of hard rubber or like material .9 and confined by the overlying double washer s and a pair of suitable screws flange b.

The hook-lever H has upon its lower side a curved projection W, upon which bears the upper arm of a strong bent spring S, the upper end of which lies within and is limited in its movement by the recess b in the base, while its lower end is secured across the base. This spring S tends to exert a strong and constant upward pressure. upon the. lever H at the point 7L2, which, it will be observed, lies between the pivot P and the working-or power end of the lever. Fig. 2 shows particularly the mode of engagement of the lever with the ivot. Theend of the lever is bifurcated, avin a linear extension 7?," an upward curve extension h, and a notch k lying be-' tweenthem. This is placed in 'position from the left, the extension it being passed under the pivot and slid back over. the flange b, the spring S being at the same time held down. As the'lever moves back the post Pwill finally engage in the opening under the extension 7%, and the. spring S. being then released the parts will all assume the positions shown in Fig. 2, with the pivot P lying in the notch h in which it is retainedby. the upward pressure ofqthe spring S. It is essential to the proper retention of the parts in this position that a suitable sto shall be provided to limit the movement 0 the lever H. This sto may be simply .the escutcheon-plate, the length of whose. slot determines the length of travel of the. lever; but in the present case I do not depend upon the escutcheon, prefer ring to have a more positive stop on the base. This enables me to assemble my switch outside of the casing and without reference thereto, if necessary or desirable. The stop so provided consists merely of the transverse portion of the flange b, u on which the extension h bears when the ook is up. The end of the spring S descending to the bottom' of the recess 6 similarly limits the movement when the hook is down." In assembling this type of hook for operation the base, with its springs S and s, is secured in place, through the opening 0, eitherwith or without passing down and into the the insulated stud 7L, screwed or riveted intothe hole in the lever. This stud as the and the lever H is passed inlever moves to the right takes into the bifurcated end of the middle one of the springs's, whereby movement is communicated to the springs from thelever. As already described, the end of the lever then passesfrom the spring S and onto the pivot until the latter snaps into the notch.

In order to remove the lever in the form of switch shown, it is necessary only to depress the spring S'either directly or by pressing down on the lever H,when the latter may be M thdrawn Without disturbing the other parts of the switch. i

It will be apparent to-those skilledin the art that sundry changes-may be made in details and the -mode of arrangement without de arting from the-spirit of the invention. Al other changes embodyin the spirit of my invention are contemplated hy-me, andI con-j sider them within the scope and purview of my claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An electrical switchlcomprisin a base, contact members thereon, a pivot or ulcrum,

an operating member detachably secured to I i said pivot or fulcrum, a yielding pressure device normally maintaining said member in operative relation with the fulcrum, and a shoulder on the base for limiting the movement of said pressure device when the operating member has been removed. Y

2. In an electrical switch, the combination with abase, a rearward extension thereon, of a pivot or fulcrum on said base, member pivoted thereto, movable contact members actuated by saidoperating memher, a limited pressure device normally maintaining said operating memberin operative an operating position, and an extension carried by the op- I erating member and cooperating with the base extension for limiting its movement.

3, In an electrical switch, the combination p with a base, a rearward extension thereon, of

a pivot or fulcrum on said base, an operating member pivoted thereto movable contact members actuated by said operating member, a limited pressure device normally maintaining said operating memberin operative position, and a linear arm integral with said operating-me'mber adapted to limit the movement thereof by engagement with the base extension. 1 f

4. Inan electrical switch, the combination with a base, .of a shelf integral therewith, circuit changing' springs mounted on said shelf, an operating member, a stationary pivot on thebase therefor, a pressure device normally maintaining s'aid operatingmember in engagement with the" pivot and an arm integral with said operating member adapted to engage the shelf to limit the movement thereof. 5. 'In an. electrical switch, the combination with a closed casir'lg, of a base or support 3 therein, a shelf carried thereby, circuit-changing springs removably sceured on said shelf,

and engaging the lever on its under side and I exerting pressure thereon forward of the a stationary pivot on said base, an operating pivot-post whereby the lever is held with its member re movablyengaging said pivot, a. forward end raised and the notch in operapressure device normally tending to keep said operating member in engagement with the pivot, and a rearwardly-extending linear arm adapted to limit the upward movement of said operating member, said operating withoutentering the casing.

6.- In an electrical switch comprising a i l l tive engagement with the pivot-post;

S. An electrical switch comprising a casing and an escutcheon-platesecured thereto and forming upper and lower stops, a base having a transverse flange integral therewith, an op member adapted to be removed from its pivot 5 frame having a longitudinal member and a transverse flange formed thereon, an operating-lever independent of the circuit and;

notched near one end, a pivot-poston the l longitudinal member having its pivot lying in said notch, and a spring secured upon the l longitudinal member and extending so as to exert pressure on the lever on the side opposite the notch whereby the lever is held normally raised in operative engagement with the pivot-post.

tudinal member and a transverse flange i formed thereon, an 'operatmg-lever independent of the circuit and notched near one end i said longitudinal member and extending up crating lever extending through said escutcheon-plate and having a notch on its outside near one end, a pivot-post on said base engaging the notch of said operating-lever, a spring secured to the base and extending up to the under side of said lever between the pivot-post and the escutcheon-plate whereby the lever is normally held in engagement with the pivot-post and the upper stop of the escutcheonplate, contact-springs mounted on said transverse flange, means forming an operative connection between the lever and said springs, and means independent of the i escutcheon-plate for limiting upward move- 7. An electrical switch comprising a longi- RAY H. MANSON.

Witnesses:

S. A. BRYLAND, WM. W. DEAN. 

